+1

A seriously weird little movie, +1 follows three friends (Rhys Wakefield’s David, Logan Miller’s Teddy, and Suzanne McCloskey’s Allison) as they arrive at a massive house party shortly after a mysterious phenomenon strikes nearby – with the film detailing the mind-bending chaos that ensues in its aftermath. Before the weirdness dominates, however, +1 comes off as a fairly standard college-party movie that revolves mostly around David’s efforts at winning back his estranged girlfriend (Ashley Hinshaw’s Jill) – with the familiar atmosphere alleviated by Dennis Iliadis’ steady directorial hand and a sporadic emphasis on elements of a decidedly inexplicable nature. The film’s sharp turn for the strange initially holds a great deal of promise, as Iliadis does a nice job of weaving the oddball attributes within Bill Gullo’s screenplay into the fast-paced narrative – with the puzzle-like vibe playing a key role in the movie’s early success (ie the viewer can’t help but attempt to stay one step ahead of the characters in terms of figuring out just what’s going on). And although many of the plot’s twists and turns are undeniably quite thrilling (and unexpected), +1 does begin to fizzle out once it passes a certain point – as it becomes more and more difficult to swallow the actions and behavior of the various characters (ie their approach to the oddball situation seems dictated more by plot than by plausibility). It’s all quite watchable, certainly, and yet it’s hard to envision the narrative standing up to close scrutiny, which, when coupled with a palpably unsatisfying conclusion, confirms +1‘s place as an intriguing effort that can’t quite sustain a consistent tone throughout.

**1/2 out of ****